Report: Dolphins still pursuing Bengals free agent Leon Hall

Leon Hall's time with the Cincinnati Bengals appears to be over. As steady and reliable as he was for the first half of his career, injuries and lackluster play have relegated the former All-Pro starter to a backup/reserve role. However, that hasn't stopped other teams from being interested in his services this offseason.

In March, Hall visited with the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys, but neither signed him. This week, interest in the former Bengals cornerback has heated up as he visited with the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons, but hasn't yet signed with either.

The Miami Dolphins previously expressed interest, although they did not pursue a visit with Hall. However, they are reportedly still interested in trying to sign him now that the NFL draft is over, according to the Miami Sun-Sentinel.

Hall had a very good career in Cincinnati through his first four years, consistently being talked about as one of the best young corners in the NFL. In 2009, he was named as a second team All-Pro corner due to a career high 24 passes defensed and six interceptions on the season.

He re-signed with the Bengals after his rookie contract in 2011, but was almost immediately plagued by severe injuries like a torn Achilles tendon in 2011 and another one in 2013. He's returned to a competitive state since 2014, recording 93 tackles over the last two seasons, but his pass defense numbers over the last two years (16 passes defensed, three interceptions) have been pretty lackluster.

If there were any hopes that the veteran cornerback might re-sign with the Bengals, their selection of William Jackson III in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft pretty much kills that possibility. With Jackson, Darqueze Dennard, Dre Kirkpatrick, Adam Jones, Josh Shaw, Chris Lewis-Harris, Chykie Brown, and Darius Hillary competing for what is likely 5-6 spots on the roster, the Bengals don't seem to be pursuing Hall.

The Dolphins seem like the perfect team to pursue a player of Hall's talents. After losing Brent Grimes this offseason and already having problems with cornerback depth, the Dolphins added Byron Maxwell in free agency and Xavien Howard in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. Maxwell and Howard are both good additions, but the rest of their depth is shaky at best. They could be interested in bringing in Hall to shore up that depth, as well as help mentor a young talent like Howard. And, to make manners more interesting, former Bengals defensive backs coach Vance Joseph is now the defensive coordinator in Miami.

It is unlikely that Hall will be able to command a particularly high salary on his next contract, given the lack of interest so far in free agency, his age, and history of injury. At this point, he's probably looking at a contract similar to what the Bengals gave A.J. Hawk last season. That was a two year deal worth $3.25 million. It also was team-friendly enough that they were able to part ways with him without trouble this year. Hall might not want to sign with a team for those kind of terms, but that's probably what he'll have to settle for if he wants to continue to play in the NFL.